Collet mounting assembly for a die bonder

1. A collet mounting assembly of a die bonder, the collet mounting assembly comprising: a collet mount comprising a first end attached to the die bonder and a second end opposite the first end with a cavity defined in the second end to receive a shaft of a collet; and a fastener positioned and configured to secure the collet inside the cavity of the collet mount, wherein the fastener is operative to flex when attached to the collet mount so as to generate a compression force around the shaft of the collet within the collet mount to secure the collet within the cavity of the collet mount.

2. The collet mounting assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fastener comprises: a flexible clip.

3. The collet mounting assembly as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising: a groove on an outer periphery of the collet mount proximate the cavity for insertion of the fastener for causing the collet mount to engage the shaft of the collet.

4. The collet mounting assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the collet mount is made of a highly flexible material selected from the group consisting of: steel, aluminum, titanium, magnesium and engineering plastics.

5. The collet mounting assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fastener is made of a highly flexible material selected from the group consisting of: steel, aluminum, titanium, magnesium and engineering plastics.

6. The collet mounting assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cavity in the second end of the collet mount has a width which is slightly greater than a width of the shaft resulting in a small clearance when the shaft is positioned within the cavity, and wherein the fastener is operative to flex the collet mount and close the clearance between the cavity and the shaft of the collet causing the collet mount to grip the collet tightly.

7. The collet mounting assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fastener is operative to apply a substantially uniform force around the periphery of the collet.

8. The collet mounting assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fastener is machined to exhibit sufficient tolerance to hold the collet securely in position when a die bondhead is accelerating at high speed.

9. A method for attaching a collet to a die bonder, comprising the steps of: inserting a shaft of the collet into a cavity in a second end of a collet mount wherein the collet mount has a first end attached to the die bonder and the second end having a cavity extending into the second end of the collet mount opposite of the first end; and attaching a fastener to the collet mount such that the fastener flexes to apply a compression force to the collet mount causing the collet mount to grip and secure the shaft of the collet inside the cavity.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising: inserting the fastener into a groove around a periphery of said collet mount proximate the second end to cause the collet mount to engage the shaft of the collet.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the cavity in the second end of the collet mount has a width which is slightly greater than a width of the shaft resulting in a small clearance when the shaft is positioned within the cavity, and wherein a fastener is operative to flex the collet mount and close the clearance between the cavity and the shaft of the collet causing the collet mount to grip the collet tightly.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the compression force is a substantially uniform force applied around a periphery of the shaft in the cavity.